Arsenal told mammoth £87million price must be paid for lethal striker as Euro boss won’t budge
Viktor Gyokeres training ahead of Sporting match
Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim has said any of his players will “only leave” if their release clauses are met, meaning Arsenal must lodge an £87million bid to get Viktor Gyokeres.
The Gunners’ attack has been one of the best in the Premier League for the past couple of seasons. Indeed, their 88 goals last season was the second-most any side achieved.
The north London outfit have scored 33 goals in 16 games so far this term, with only three sides netting more often.
For a lot of sides, the central striker is the main source of goals, but for Arsenal of late, it’s been the wide players and midfielders.
Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka were their top three scorers in all competitions last season, and the latter pair top the pile so far this term.
As such, it’s been suggested by some that a new striker is a necessity for Mikel Arteta’s side. Steve Nicol believes they “need a centre-forward” as Gabriel Jesus did “absolutely nothing” to help his side in the recent 1-0 loss to Aston Villa.
A number of strikers have been linked with the club of late. Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen were two of the main names in the summer, and Toney’s name is continually cropping up at the moment.
Spirting man Gyokeres has found his name on that list quite often of late, too.
Arsenal must pay £87million for Gyokeres
The striker, as with a number of top talents in Portugal, is protected by a release clause. It’s reported the clause for Gyokeres is worth around £87million.
While some clubs would allow an interested side a discount if a good enough offer came in, Sporting boss Amorim says they will not budge, and are going to ask for the full amount for all of their players; he was specifically asked about his striker.
“I can’t guarantee anything, what I can say is what they tell me and that is any player only leaves through the clause,” Amorim said, quoted by Desporto Ao Minuto.
“It’s the only security that clubs in Portugal have. Our idea is not to sell anyone in January, because we have a full calendar, and we need all the players available. I’m calm about that.
“At this moment we are only selling due to the clause, it is a different security than last year, when [Pedro] Porro left in January [to Tottenham] when he was very important in our dynamics.”
Gyokeres a useful striker
Gyokeres has shown since he left Brighton in 2021 without ever playing a Premier League game for them that he’s a top asset in front of goal.
He notched 41 Championship goals across three seasons with Coventry before being rewarded with the move to Sporting.
The Swede is currently the second-top goalscorer in the top division in Portugal, having netted nine times – along with four assists – in 12 games.
He’s also enjoying his first taste of European competition, having scored twice and assisted once in four games. That said, £87million is a lot of money for a player who’s never played in a top-five European league.
If Toney at £80million is the alternative, given he’s bagged 32 Premier League goals in the last two seasons, he would be a safer option for the time being.
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